What you must do
What an EICR is
An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is a formal inspection and test of your property's fixed electrical installation — everything on the consumer's side of the electricity meter. This covers the wiring, consumer unit (commonly called the fuse box), sockets, switches, and light fittings.
The purpose is to assess whether the existing installation is safe for continued use. This is not a pass/fail against a brand-new standard; it evaluates current condition against safety requirements. Portable and plug-in appliances are not covered — they are a separate matter.
Who can carry it out
The inspection must be carried out by a "qualified person" who is competent under BS 7671 (the current wiring regulations). In practice this means an electrician registered with a recognised scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT, both of which maintain searchable public registers where you can find a qualified inspector in your area.
If you also need to install mains-wired smoke or heat alarms — which the alarms regulations require to be fitted by a qualified electrician — the same registered electrician may be able to carry out both jobs.
Understanding your report
Your EICR will be rated either Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. Observations are assigned one of four codes:
- C1 — Danger present: An immediate risk of injury exists. Urgent remedial action is required.
- C2 — Potentially dangerous: A condition that could become dangerous. Remedial work is required.
- C3 — Improvement recommended: Advisory only. A C3 observation does not make the report Unsatisfactory and does not require remedial work — though acting on it over time is sensible.
- FI — Further investigation required: Something was identified that could not be fully assessed during the inspection. It must be investigated before the installation can be confirmed safe.
A report is rated Unsatisfactory if it contains one or more C1, C2, or FI observations. A report with only C3 observations is Satisfactory.
What you must do with the report
Once you have the EICR:
- Provide a copy to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection.
- Provide a copy to the council within 7 days if the relevant district council requests it.
- Keep the report until the next inspection.
Where remedial work is carried out, the electrician should provide written confirmation — for minor works this is typically a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate (MEIWC); for a consumer unit replacement, an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) may apply. Retain these documents alongside your EICR.
If the report is unsatisfactory
You must arrange for a qualified electrician to carry out all remedial work within the timescale the report specifies — sooner if the fault presents an immediate risk.
Once the work is complete, obtain written confirmation from the electrician and keep it with the original report.
Penalties and enforcement
Failure to comply with Regulation 3 is a criminal offence. On summary conviction, a landlord is liable to a fine of up to £5,000 (level 5 on the standard scale).
As an alternative to prosecution, the district council may issue a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) of up to £1,000. The FPN amount is capped at one-fifth of the maximum fine, and each of Northern Ireland's 11 councils sets its own figure within that cap — so the exact amount will depend on which council covers your property.
Councils also have powers to serve remedial notices requiring specific work to be done, and to arrange that work themselves at the landlord's expense if it is not carried out.